Kindred spirits
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: Captain Canary Regency AU. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOT or any of the characters.**

* * *

Sara did not enter this marriage with any illusions about finding love. It is the honest truth. Five months earlier, her family had hit rock bottom. Her father had exhausted their coffers with his excessive drinking, and without a proper dowry, she wasn't suited to marry in a respectable family. Lord Leonard Snart had stepped in gracefully and proposed marriage, stating his need to have a wife in order to claim his inheritance, as per the terms on his late father's will. Sara had never met Leonard, but his sister, Elizabeth "Lisa" Snart was her dear friend at boarding school, and she had heard enough from her to know Leonard was a complicated man, extremely protective of the few people he loved, cold and distant to the rest of the world. His relationship with his father had been very strained, and there were whispers in society that the man was dangerous. Still, the Snart name had considerable wealth and repute attached to it, and her father had consented to the marriage immediately. A date was set, vows were exchanged, and here she is, about to begin the new phase in her life.

Her new home is a brick and mortar prison, as is evident from the rusting iron-gates, the gardens with plants withering under a blanket of intrusive weeds, and the walls of the building lacking color or warmth. Her husband has not spoken a single word to her yet, and it makes her liken him to a monolith- cold, unmoving and silent. She feels a strange sense of trepidation as she steps into the household for the very first time, but her unease vanishes when Lisa runs down the stairs and greets her with open arms. "I can hardly wait to show you around the household," she says, locking elbows with Sara, "Your quarters are next to mine. I have taken the liberty to decorate them."

"I am sure I will love them, as much as I love you," Sara assures with a smile, casting one last glance behind her to see her husband has already disappeared into another room.

* * *

She doesn't see him again for the next two months. She spends this time with Lisa, reminiscing about their younger days, the mischief and the tendency to challenge authorities, and redecorating the whole mansion to their hearts' content, starting with applying a fresh coat of paint to the gates and the walls, and planting new shrubs in the garden after removing the weeds.

"This place feels like a home again," Lisa tells her while admiring their finished work.

"Is your brother never home?" Sara inquires curiously.

Lisa sighs, a sadness overtaking her features. "He is away on business with Michael most of the time. It is going to be just you and me, I'm afraid."

Sara smiles mischievously. "In that case, I believe we should put our time to good use."

There is a lot to be done in a house being ruled by two rebellious women. They pour over the vast collection of books in the library, reading the blasphemous texts and expressing their appreciation of the foul language. A little adventure across the house leads them to Leonard's secret room one day, and they soon acquaint themselves with his weapons. Sara still misses her sister Laurel, but Lisa makes her stay at the Snart mansion enjoyable, and soon she starts to think of that place as home.

* * *

Everything changes when Leonard returns, and announces the date of Lisa's wedding.

"Should you not at least ask your sister if she wishes to marry this gentleman?"

That's the first thing she ever says to Leonard. Lisa has confided in her about Francisco, the man she has been in love with but cannot marry because his family is no match for hers. She feels her heart weep at the mere thought of Lisa being trapped in a loveless marriage like she is.

Leonard eyes her with intrigue. He has heard about Sara from his sister, and he has always known about the bond they share, and the courage Sara has to stand up for herself and the people she loves. Seeing it in action now, he admires her immensely. "I already know Lisa's wishes."

"Do you, Sir?" she challenges. "Pray tell me, where did you master the art of reading minds?"

"It is not an art," he answers, his lips curled in a smirk. "But I believe sword fighting is."

Sara flushes. How does he even know what she and Lisa have been up to secretly? And why doesn't he look enraged that she has stepped into the territory of males?

"The Ramons are thrilled at the prospect of aligning with us," Leonard reveals, directing his words at both Lisa and Sara. "Francisco sends his love."

Sara stares at him, stunned. Did he go against social norms to ensure his sister's happiness? Did a man who married merely to ensure his wealth arrange his sister's marriage in a family beneath theirs just so she can be loved? In that moment, she feels a new emotion for him- respect. He really has the kind heart Lisa claims he does.

* * *

The next few weeks fly by in a rush, preparations for the wedding keeping them both busy. Leonard mostly keeps out of their way, choosing to take his meals separately, with Michael. She sees him a few times in passing, and they acknowledge each other with just a courteous bow.

Lisa makes a glowing bride, and Francisco charms everyone with his earnestness. Lisa and Sara say their tearful goodbyes, promising to write to each other often. She sees Leonard's eyes fill with tears when it's time to let his sister go. "Be good to Sara, Lenny," Lisa pleads. Leonard doesn't answer her.

Sara feels a gaping void in the mansion when Lisa is gone. The place is silent, morose, and lonely. She finds herself in a foreign land without a friend, without a soul to speak to, and not enough work to keep herself busy. For the first time since she stepped into his household, she remembers how alone she truly is in this marriage, and waits for Leonard to leave again, like he surely would.

* * *

He surprises her by summoning her to his secret chamber the very next day. She feels anxious about the visit, expecting to be chastised for her little adventure with his swords, and to be reminded about her place as a lady.

Instead, she finds him waiting with a selection of swords laid out on the table for her. "I have heard you can defeat a man," he explains, motioning at her to take her pick of weapon. "Show me how good you are."

She has known her husband is an unconventional man, but she never expected to be engaged in a duel with him. With a racing heart, she grips her sword tightly and waits for him to strike. He overpowers her in a matter of minutes, and she blames her Victorian gown for restricting her movements.

He offers his hand to help her off the floor, where she is slumped rather ungracefully, and when she stands tall, almost a foot shorter than him, he smiles appreciatively. "I was right in my selection of bride, after all."

"Why did you select me?" she finds herself asking.

"You intrigue me," he tells her flatly. "Lisa praised you very highly. You have never been restricted by what society dictated you could and could not do. In you, I sensed a kindred spirit."

She stands silently, trying to comprehend what he is thinking.

"I believe we can be friends," he says, with a hint of hesitation laced in the words. "There is no need to live like strangers within the same house for the rest of our lives."

She stares at him again in shock. "You do not object to the things I do that most men would find scandalous?"

"I am not most men," he answers with a smug grin before he takes his leave.

* * *

She is invited to take supper with him and Michael that day. "Call me Mick," he insists, and she finds herself warming up to him quickly, finding it easy to talk to him. Leonard is quiet, his eyes fixed on a letter that he keeps reading.

"It appears I must go to Hub City to take care of this transaction myself," he tells Mick.

Sara's heart sinks at the prospect of being alone in the palatial home, with just the servants, especially when she thought she was on the verge of developing a companionship with her husband. She conceals her disappointment behind a smile. "I have heard it is a spectacular place. I am certain you will have a memorable stay there."

He looks at her strangely. "You won't be joining me?"

She finds herself stunned into silence by him yet again. Men never take their wives with them to towns, specially when they leave for business or to visit a mistress. She wonders if Leonard has a mistress, and if Lisa knows about it. After a moment, she gathers her senses and looks at Mick. "I will be a burden in your travels."

"Non-sense," Mick waves her off. "On the contrary, you are invaluable. You can distract Snart while I stir up some trouble in the city."

"You are not coming. You have a reward on your head, by Lord Hunter," Leonard reminds him.

"Precisely the trouble I wish to stir up," Mick states proudly.

"Not this time, Mick," Leonard tells him with finality, casting a sideways glance at Sara to let him know his reason for not wanting trouble. Mick begrudgingly relents, and continues eating.

* * *

When supper is over and Mick has left, Leonard knocks at her door. She is dressed for the night, in a sheer shift and a shawl, and has already put out the candle in her room, but who is she to deny her husband an audience?

She feels his eyes rake over her body, before settling on her face, and tries to fight the involuntary shiver it sends down her spine. "You did not answer me. Will you be joining me?"

She tries to conceal her enthusiasm of travelling. "If you so wish."

"What do _you_ wish, Sara?"

"I wish to see the world," she confesses. "And to find my place in it."

"You can never _find_ your place in the world. You must _make_ your own place in it," Leonard tells her seriously, before allowing a smile on his face. "We leave in two days."

* * *

Hub City is not the fairytale she expected, or perhaps it's her husband's fault for deciding to let the luggage be brought in a carriage separate from theirs. They have arrived at their destination, and their belongings are nowhere to be seen.

"So much for your grand plan, husband," she tells him sarcastically.

"Anytime, wife," he bites back, as they enter the house he owns here.

She finds herself drifting off to sleep in a chair by the fireplace, still dressed in her day's worn clothes, weary from the journey, and excited about the possibility of adventures. When she wakes up, she finds herself in bed, and her eyes meet his, where he is sitting next to her, with her feet unceremoniously dumped over his lap, his hands caressing her ankles in a sensual manner. Just that simple caress sends tingles across her body.

She sits up hastily, tucking her feet away like a good and proper wife, at the same time wishing the moment had not ended. "Are you here to tell me you have confirmed our luggage is lost?" she enquires playfully.

He feigns offense, but smirks at her. "I am here to tell you our luggage has arrived. I thought you might enjoy a change of clothes."

"Is that your excuse for watching me sleep?" she lets the words slip before she can stop herself.

He appears unfazed by it, his grin only turning mischievous, his blue eyes dark. "I do not _need_ an excuse for watching you sleep."

Her skin flushes at his words, at the feeling of his breathe on her skin, and she prays he doesn't notice the affect he has on her. This is the closest she has ever been to a male, and it leaves her feeling dizzy. She excuses herself quickly to get dressed for the day, finding it easier to breathe when she is not under Leonard's heated gaze.

* * *

He stays out of the house on business the whole day, and she is thankful for the privacy. She takes the time to remind herself this is merely an arrangement, that all they will achieve is a mutual understanding, that her husband is a great man for allowing her the liberty to choose to live her life on her own wild terms, and that she is setting her heart to be broken if she expects more, if she starts to believe this is a real marriage, if she lets herself fall for his eccentric and illusive man.

He returns late that night, looking completely exhausted, and trying to control a temper that is threatening to flare. She has never been one to be afraid of men and their tempers, and she makes herself at home in a chair next to his. "Business is not going smoothly, I presume."

"Alexa," he answers curtly without elaborating, and excuses himself to his room.

She spends the night berating herself for letting her walls down and letting him in. His kindness is not to be mistaken for affection, and she must take control of her heart and not let herself be swept away so easily, as proven by the day.

* * *

She finds him seated at her bed-side again when she wakes up, this time watching her with thinly veiled amusement. She makes no attempt to get up, deciding it's far too early for decorum, specially when he is the one intruding into her room.

"Alexa was my first transaction, along-side Mick. We were procuring gems from foreigners, which turned out to be forgeries," he tells her without preamble, and flashes the ring on his finger, the one other than his wedding band that has ignited her curiosity. "I keep this as a reminder that even the best laid plans can go wrong. As they did yesterday."

"I am sorry to hear that," she tells him sincerely.

He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "Now that that is taken care of, I believe we have a city that awaits us."

That makes her sit up excitedly. This is the first time she has traveled outside of her home-town, her school and her new home, and there is so much she wants to see. She feels his eyes trained on her as he excuses himself to let her dress and takes his leave.

* * *

He buys her a knife from the market, and she falls a little more in love with him for this, for knowing she's a woman who would prefer something edgy over clothes and jewels. She grins at him. "Are you not afraid I might plunge it in your heart if some day I half-awaken to find a stranger hovering over me while I sleep?"

"I am going to teach you how to sever arteries with a surgeon's precision," he tells her proudly.

"Do you moonlight as a killer?"

He rolls his eyes dramatically. "Most women simply express their gratitude on receiving a present."

"I am not most women," she says, mimicking his words from an earlier conversation, leaving him smiling at the knowledge that she remembers.

* * *

Hub City is better than the fairytale she was expecting, she concludes at the end of the day. Leonard takes her to the corners of the town, shows her the people and the places. His presence by her side, his sarcastic remarks and his habit to speak in drawls makes it even more beautiful.

"Thank you," she tells him sincerely.

"Stop, I'm getting misty eyed," he jokes. And standing there on a bridge, watching the sun set, she realizes that Leonard's hand is in hers for the very first time, and it's the best feeling in the world.

* * *

"Sara?" he calls out when they are home and she bids him goodnight. She pauses at the doorway to look back at him. "Tell me about your parents. Are they happily married?" he asks.

She steps back into the room, feeling hope rising in her chest at his attempt to start a heart-felt conversation with her. "I believe happiness is relative. My father is a good person, as is my mother. They perform their duties to each other and to the family."

"Duty is an entirely different thing," he argues. "Are they in love?"

She shakes her head no silently. If they had been in love some day, they are no longer, as is evident by the growing distance between them.

"My father never loved my mother," he confesses. "He had a string of mistresses around town, and a horrible temper. My mother was never happy." He pauses a moment, before he bares his soul to her in this rare moment of vulnerability. "I don't want you to be unhappy too, Sara."

"I am not," she insists, gently but firmly, "You have given me more liberties than I ever had."

"Liberty is not the same thing as love," he states sadly. "If I had a heart, perhaps you would have found it in your possession someday. But the truth is, Sara, I am cold and brutal, and I hurt people, and I leave them. I am incapable of love."

She realizes that it is too late, that she has already given her heart out to this man, and is now finding it breaking at his words. She is brave though, and strong, and she smiles at him. "I did not enter this marriage with any illusions about finding love," she reassures him.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked it :) I'll update and finish this one soon. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"I did not enter this marriage with any illusions about finding love," Sara reassures him.

That does nothing to ease his guilt. He does not show it often, but his conscience is constantly challenging him, making him question his actions. "I am sorry I took advantage of the financial predicament of your family and deprived you of a chance to find love," he tells her sincerely.

"You saved me and my family from the humiliation of not being married in a proper place in society," she protests.

"That's what I kept telling myself," he confesses with a sigh that seems to originate from a hollow chamber of his soul, "That this arrangement is beneficial to us both. But the more I unravel about you, the more I regret it. You are like a canary, Sara. You deserve to be free to fly, to sing, to _love_."

She stands, holding her chin up high and looking at him bravely. She has never been one to shy away from speaking her mind, and she will not start now. "You are mistaken, sir. I still _am_ free to love, and I do not regret loving, not in the least." She bows to him and exits the room, leaving him speechless in shock, leaving him to process the fact that she confessed to loving him.

Once alone in her room with her thoughts left to haunt her, she analyzes her actions and seeks the reason she let him know how she feels. She concludes it is not because she expects him to feel something for her as well, or to shower her with affection and treat her like a queen. It is simply because Leonard is much too lonely in this world, and he deserves to know there is one more person who sees him for who he is, and cherishes him.

How he would react to this revelation is an entirely different matter, and she lets the tears fall that night, afraid that her confession will push him away.

* * *

Her suspicions are confirmed the next day when he meets her with a stoic expression, does not look at her, and does not say a word during the entire ride home. It is strange to be seated in the same carriage, at a trivial distance from each other and yet so far away, like she has just been shunned from his world, when they had been so close just the previous day. Sara finds out the hard way that when the tide recedes, it takes away a part of you with it.

It's a relief when they reach home and the servants arrive to carry their luggage. She enters the house silently, and when she hears the sound of the carriage leaving and does not see Leonard or his luggage in the house, she realizes he has left.

* * *

A heart break is a rather painful thing, Sara discovers. She drowns herself into mastering the art of sword fighting, and soon excels at being adept with swords, knives, and even bo-staffs. She sleeps with the knife he gifted her in her boudoir, the only physical reminder of the time they shared together, the only thing connecting her to him and helping her cope with his absence. She wonders if it was a mistake to tell him the truth, if she will ever get him back in her life.

Lisa's letter arrives, describing the love and devotion of her husband, and she writes back, happy for her friend and missing her own husband at the same time.

Laurel writes to her as well, expressing concerns about rumors that Leonard has appointed a mistress in town. She feels her heart break all over again at the thought of Leonard finding comfort in the arms of another woman. But Sara has never been a woman to despair, to surrender without a battle, and she is not going to start now.

"I wish to meet my husband," she tells Mick when he comes to the house to fetch a few things for Leonard.

Mick grimaces. "I like you, you are a wonderful woman. I want to help. But once Snart has made up his mind, there is no changing it. He seems intent on not coming home."

"Then take me to him," she orders boldly. How can things between them become any worse than they are now? How can he possibly punish her further than he already has with his cold shoulder?

Mick stares at her, trying to decide if she is serious. When he realizes she is, to her surprise, he gives in readily. "You have some nerve on you, lady. I can see why he likes you."

* * *

Leonard is shocked to see her, and she is shocked to see him looking like he hasn't slept in days, with the hint of a stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes. Mick gives them privacy by leaving, and for a while they have a non-verbal stand-off, each daring the other to look away or speak first.

It is Sara who relents. "You said you did not want me to be unhappy. Yet, you abandoned me. You left me in isolation."

He doesn't waver under her accusation, his stare remaining icy. "There is nothing more I can do for you."

Sara glares at him. "Don't do that. Don't act like the cold hearted person that the world thinks you are. I remember Hub City. You let your guard down and revealed a part of you to me." She flings the sheathed knife at him, and he catches it reflexively. He stares at the knife first, remembering the day when he had felt lighter than he had in years, and then at her, trying to understand if she is returning his present and rejecting him.

"You promised to be my friend. You promised to teach me to sever arteries," she explains. "Are you not a man of your word?"

"Mick can teach you-"

"-I don't want _Mick_ to teach me," she tells him stubbornly. "Tell me, sir, why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away?"

"I do not wish to delude you," he answers in a distant tone. "Or encourage whatever _feelings_ you have developed for me."

She steps in closer to him, and looks him in the eye. His tall frame towering over her seems to shrink under the weight of her resolute stare. "My feelings are mine and only mine to decide, and you will not dictate them. If you think I am a fragile flower that will wither under the grief of unrequited affection, and if you think disappearing from my life will make me forget you, then you are a damned fool, you do not know me in the least, and you are thoroughly mistaken." She takes in a deep breathe to channel her angel to be her strength. "If my presence keeps you away from your own home, then perhaps it is time I embrace my destiny and return to my father."

"You will _not_ return home in shame," he tells her firmly, matching her glare with one of his own.

She lets out a hollow laughter. "What do you care if I am shamed? You have made yourself abundantly clear to me. Now it is _my_ choice, _my_ turn to decide my next step." She turns to leave, her anger fueling her with the courage to walk out of this marriage, but Leonard takes hold of her wrist and stops her.

She is surprised at how gentle his touch is, in contrast with his words and his stare. "Stay," he whispers softly, pulling her closer. "I may not love you, but I do care about you. I do not want you to face such humiliation, specially because of me."

She closes her eyes so he can't see the tears welling in them. "If you indeed care about me, then trust my ability to live with my feelings, and do not push me so far away."

He stares at her, contemplating the right thing to do, while keeping his expression unreadable. Once again his conscience challenges him, telling him a creature so pure will be destroyed by his touch. But his heart argues that perhaps her innocence can drive away some of his demons, and perhaps she will not be tainted by him. Finally, he places the knife back in her hand and lets go of her wrist. "Alright."

* * *

Things are difficult for the first few days. Sara holds her head high and keeps her distance, while being civil and companionable throughout. Leonard speaks little and spends most of his time alone, only taking his meals with Sara, with Michael acting as a buffer between them.

On the third night, she reaches for a bottle of wine, deciding to drink straight from it instead of using a glass. Leonard and Mick share amused glances as she pours the liquid down her throat.

"I am curious," Leonard drawls, beginning his first proper conversation with Sara since their reconciliation, "Preciously how much did you and Lisa secretly consume at school for you to not be intoxicated by the amount you are currently drinking and in such rushed manner?"

Sara crosses her heart and shakes her head. "Secrets between sisters are to be taken to graves. But let me confess to one thing. I believe men would be intoxicated before I am if we were to consume the same amount."

Mick chuckles. "That is because you have never met me."

She pushes a bottle to his side. "Is that a challenge, Mick?"

Mick looks at Leonard, who deadpans. "Please, do continue. I am dying to see whether my best friend or my wife gets drunk first."

Surprisingly, it's Mick who falls asleep on the dining table while Sara triumphantly looks on, wine bottle still in hand.

Leonard stares at her appreciatively. "Once again you have proven yourself to be perfect to be my friend."

Her gaze softens around the edges. "I _am_ your friend. Now carry Mick to his room where he would be comfortable."

"Yes, my lady," he answers with a grin. He is grateful that they are at ease once again after his self-imposed detachment. For a man who claims not to love his wife, he certainly has missed her profusely.

* * *

Sara does not want to spy on her husband, but she has seen the pitying looks the maids are giving her, and she intends to find the reason. She stands outside the doorway, like a stealthy shadow hiding in the dark, and strains her ears to overhear the conversation.

"I would be delighted to make the arrangements," she hears a man say.

"That is not necessary, thank you," Leonard answers curtly.

"Please, my Lord, I insist. Valentina would be delighted to see you too."

Sara feels her temper flare when she hears that. She had dismissed the rumors of Leonard having a mistress and chosen to believe in his inherent goodness. How dare he! She rushes into the room, letting her presence be known by her forceful stride. "Who the hell is Valentina?" she demands.

Their guest is startled by her sudden intrusion, her aggression and her language. He gapes at her like she's a creature from another world.

"We are not having this conversation now," Leonard answers calmly.

"We are having this conversation this instant," she returns sharply, "You will explain yourself to me right now."

The guest gasps. "Forgive me, Lord Snart, but your wife is in serious need of discipline. Perhaps a few beatings with a cane can instill some decorum in her."

Leonard's entire body tenses on hearing that. "You wish for me to hurt Sara?"

"To keep her in line."

Sara opens her mouth to let the man know that she is not to be spoken to like she is some unruly child, that he is in one of her homes and he is to treat her with the respect she deserves, but it is Leonard who speaks first. His steady voice reminds her of the calm before the storm, while his eyes warn of an oncoming blizzard. "Sara is well within her right to demand answers from her husband. I only object to her doing so in the presence of an utter and complete nincompoop. I am more offended and frankly repulsed by said nincompoop suggesting I lay a hand on my wife. Nobody shall touch Sara. Not while even a single breathe remains in my body. Now leave before I lose my temper, and do not dare to return."

Sara watches the confused, offended and frightened guest stumble out, before Leonard turns to her with an icy stare. "Do you honestly believe I would keep a mistress. Like my father did?"

Sara wishes the ground would swallow her now. In her rare jealous fit, she did not consider the facts properly, and as a consequence, she ended up hurting him. She decides to share the reason for her behaviour in the hope that he might forgive her. "My brother-in-law had a string of mistresses. My sister was ceaselessly betrayed. I have always been afraid of sharing the same fate as her. I am sorry. I should have had more faith in you."

He smiles sadly. Can he really blame her for not trusting him? After he warned her that he hurts and leaves people? "You shouldn't. You wouldn't if you knew who I am."

"I do know you," she whispers softly, stepping a little closer to him. He doesn't object to her invading his personal space, and she takes that as a good sign. "I think who you are is amazing. I am truly sorry."

He motions for her to take a seat, and she does, watching him tentatively. For a while, he is quiet, and he watches the flames in the fireplace, as if waiting for a wildfire to begin and engulf them all. Finally, he speaks, in a voice devoid of any emotions. "My father laid his hands on my mother every single day he was home. I could not save her. I was young, and I was sent away to school. When I was home for Christmas, one day, my father threw a bottle at Lisa. I saw my little sister bleeding right in front of my eyes. She was only four. I was relieved when Lisa was sent to school. But she came of age, and my father was arranging her marriage to a duke purely for financial gains. When Lisa told him about Cisco, he hit her again. And again and again and again. I could not stand it. He wouldn't stop. Lisa suffered a blow that made her unconscious. That was the last straw for me. I killed my own father, Sara. I'm a murderer."

To have a monster as a father and to be responsible for his death, to constantly feel guilty for it like an honourable man, it has to be one of the hardest things in the world. Leonard has been carrying the burden all alone. She knows a thing or two about how that feels. She reaches out and places a hand on his arm. "What you are is a good human, and a good brother. It's the circumstances in this scenario that make your actions noble."

He stares at her fingers that grip his arm. The touch is comforting and makes him feel human, and it scares him, because he is not a good human. "You shouldn't be with me," he whispers sadly. "You will be consumed by my darkness."

She places her other hand on his cheek and urges him to look at her. When he does, she smiles. "I have my own darkness too. The only reason you have never seen it is because when I'm with you, your light drives it away. Before I met you, I believed I was something irredeemable. Now I know that there is redemption, and there is hope. And one day soon you shall have the same realization."

He meets her eyes and nods softly. "Do you wish to share with me what burdens your soul so much?"

Sara hesitates. She trusts him, even with her life. But does she trust him to understand, like he always does? Or will he be repulsed by the secret she keeps? Tentatively, she confesses her sin. "I was in love with a woman. Nyssa."

He places a hand over hers, where it is caressing his face, and this time, he is the one who coaxes her to meet his gaze, by gently lifting her chin with his fingers. "I believe love is never wrong, and I will not judge you for it."

She feels relief wash over her at his words. She now realizes what Leonard meant when he had told her they are kindred spirits- they are both rebels, they are both haunted by the things they did that they should regret but do not, and their avant garde beliefs are unacceptable at least for the next century or two. In each other, they have found an abode, a safe haven where they can be unabashedly themselves.

"I want you to understand this, Sara," he begins again, breaking the comfortable silence. "When I decided to marry, it was out of my deep seated hatred for my father and my need to not let him deprive me of what is mine. I did not wish to maliciously ruin a woman's life. But I am a very selfish man. I know now that my life is better with you in it, and I have changed my mind. I am no longer ready to let you go." Sara feels her heart begin to race at his words, and he continues, taking her hands in both of his. "I have spent my whole life trying to shield myself from being hurt, here," he leads her hands to his head, and then to his heart, and she feels it pounding akin to hers, "And specially here. I tucked my heart away so long ago, but you, you impossible girl, you have broken through my walls. I will no longer fight it. I love you, Sara Snart."

"Quite right to," she answers with tears streaming down her cheeks and a mischievous grin.

* * *

And they lived happily ever after, with one incident that deserves special mention. It is midnight in Hub City, where Sara, Leonard and Mick are staying on business. Leonard and Mick have a meeting with a potential seller, and they brush aside Sara's concerns about meeting a stranger at such an odd hour, and proceed with the transaction. It turns out that Sara's instincts are never wrong, and it is an ambush, arranged by Hunter's former employers. Mick and Leonard's drinks have been laced with a sedative, and with their guns tucked in their pockets, they are just overconfident enough to indulge in drinking. Fifteen minutes later, they stumble to the ground in the middle of the road, the whole world spinning around them.

Druce appears with a medieval sword.

"I would drop that if I were you," comes a very calm and confident female voice. Mick and Leonard conclude they are hallucinating in their hour of death, because they could have sworn it's Sara.

Druce pauses out of sheer amusement. "And why should I do that? Who would stop me? You?"

She answers by taking a knife out of the secret pockets of her dress, the one that Leonard had given her so long back.

"You brought a knife to a sword-fight?" Druce asks with a laugh.

In a matter of mere seconds, three more knives are taken out and plunged into Druce, one at the hand gripping the sword so that it falls to be ground with a metallic clink, two at his right leg so that the pain makes him crouch, and the last one into his abdomen so that he cannot reach for the gun tucked in the pocket. She pulls the knives out and lets him scream in agony and bleed.

"What kind of woman are you?" Druce groans as he makes a hasty retreat while he still can.

Sara smiles triumphantly. That's a rather spectacular first battle.

"We had it handled," Mick mumbles, rubbing his eyes with the back of his palm.

"As is evident from your current state," Sara retorts, extending a hand to help him up.

"Exactly how much weapons do you have concealed in your clothing?" Mick enquiries curiously. Sara only grins.

"My knight in shining armor," Leonard comments with a smirk once he is on his feet.

Sara shoots him a glare. "You should listen to me more often, my damsel in distress."

Mick disrupts the moment by vomiting into the street. The end.

* * *

 **A/N: That is it! Hope you liked it :)**


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